Young children have a need to be physically stimulated. Gentle rocking in a parent's arms is one of the most basic parental stimulations. In order to provide relief to a parent from continuous holding and rocking of an infant, some infant support structures simulate the rocking or swinging motions of a parent's arms.
Various infant support structures for supporting an infant or child above a support surface are known, such as swings and rocker seats. Not only do these infant support structures simulate the rocking and swinging motions of a parent's arms, they are often used to soothe a restless infant. For example, bouncers and swings provide a gentle rocking motion to the seat, comforting an infant positioned therein. Similarly, infant gliders include a seat that moves back and forth along a support base to provide a continuous, oscillating motion that comforts an infant positioned in the seat. However, these infant support structures often provide motion in only one direction. For example, infant swings generally provide a swinging motion in a forward to backward direction. Moreover, infant rocker seats generally provide a rocking motion in a forward to backward direction. One drawback of the prior art infant support structures is that when the motion provided changes directions, the change in the motion is abrupt and jars the infant positioned in the seat.
Therefore, there is a need for an infant support structure, such as an infant swing, that simultaneously provides multiple types of motion to an infant received within a seat. In addition, there is a need for an infant support structure that provides a smoother and gentler motion, one that does not contain abrupt and harsh changes of motion, to provide a better soothing experience to the infant positioned within the seat.